How to get involved
Imagine the Thames in London teeming with fish,
invertebrates and birds. Picture thousands of
Londoners getting out on the foreshore to record
wildlife, building up a year round picture of
the rhythms of the river.
This is all happening now. Few people realise
that the Thames is the cleanest city river in
Europe, providing a wildlife superhighway through
the capital. River for Life offers Londoners,
young and old, the opportunity to investigate
the variety of life in the river and to care for
this world famous waterway for future generations.
So dig out your wellies and give us a ring!
The River for Life project offers you the chance
to care for the Thames in a practical way by surveying
the biodiversity (variety of living things) and
building up a picture of the rhythms of the river.
On land, we know that Spring has arrived, because
we can see birds nesting, but when do the flounder
fry start their seasonal migration upriver through
London? Can riverside development help or hinder
this process? What other things affect river wildlife?
Your participation in the River For Life project
can help answer these questions!
Who can get involved?
Community groups, local businesses, schools, youth
groups, fishermen and environmental organisations
are all invited to help. Perhaps your local community
association would like to do a regular survey?
If you work near the river, why not get together
with colleagues once a month for a working lunch
on the foreshore? We have programmes especially
designed for schools linking to the National Curriculum.
And if you can not stand the sight of rubbish
in the river, come along for a joint survey and
clean-up session with us and Thames 21 (pictured
below). If you're not part of a group, don't worry
- we can put you in touch with one.
What do I do?
With our help, you'll select a suitable area of
foreshore and go "river dipping" to
collect invertebrate and fish samples from the
river. You then log this data on simple survey
sheets, which you send to us. You can also collect
information about how people affect the local
river environment. No expertise is needed!
What help will I get?
We will provide all the support, training and
equipment that you need to get started. One of
our staff or trained volunteers will help you
on the day of your survey.
How long do the surveys take?
Each survey lasts between fifteen and thirty minutes.
How often do surveys take place?
That's up to you. Anything from once a week to
three times a year is fine. The warmest option
is to survey during the Spring and Summer only,
but it does help if surveys can be done regularly
throughout the year.
What happens to the information I collect?
We will log your survey data onto the Recorder
2000 national biodiversity database for use by
the scientific community. The Environment Agency,
who care for the river, are very interested in
what you find as it helps build up a picture of
river dynamics. Your data will also appear on
our web site for public viewing. It could be your
group that reveals the hidden secrets of the Thames
to London and the world via the web! So by taking
part, you not only gain a better understanding
of your local environment, but also play a valuable
part in ensuring its future.
How long will the project last?
Forever, we hope! It will be interesting to see
how river biodiversity changes over the next twenty
years.
How do I take part?
To find out more, just contact Thames
Explorer
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